Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A- | 631 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT Mystery Date
By Couch Baron | Season 5 | Episode 4 | Aired on 2012.04.08
Joan emerges from the bedroom trailing afterglow everywhere, and in response to Greg's inquiry, announces that she slept "very well." Gail is there too, apparently having judged it safe to return sometime in the middle of the night, and when Joan observes Greg making his lunch, Gail explains that he won't listen. Joan tries to tell him they have steak and a cake, but Greg, already into a beer, is apparently craving bologna, and I'll just let that one go entirely. Greg adds that he'll have veal that night with his parents, and then talk turns to the riots, with Greg asserting that there are "plenty of Negroes in Saigon, and they're plenty brave." Joan makes a comment about how Greg looks in uniform, prompting Greg to ask Gail if there's any way she could pick up more beer, and Gail's already got Kevin warmed up and ready to go, and is out the door in five seconds flat. I don't know how comfortable my mother being that attuned to the "it's time for sex" vibe in the room would make me, but maybe it's different for girls. It's also different for Joan, as this time, Greg sits Joan down and says he has something to tell her. Joan, her voice dropping to her business tone, says if something happened over there, he shouldn't tell her, and I wonder if on some level she's hoping he did stray so she can call her indiscretion with Roger even, but Greg says it's not that -- he has to go back to Vietnam for another year. Joan is, to be sure, severely displeased, brushing aside Greg's attempts to mollify her by saying news stories of how horrible it is there are completely untrue, and half-yells that "they're a bunch of liars!" Greg, however, says that's not the case and it's "more complicated" than that, when actually, it's simpler, just completely different. He says he's "come to terms" with the fact that war doesn't stop for their plans, but points out that they have ten days together. "I need to store up as much of you as possible." Buddy, you don't know the half of it.